Let Them Chase Those Dreams

Ian Borges,2 November 2018

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Everyone always believes retirement is when they’d have more time to do what they’ve always wanted to do. People don’t have the time, energy or the money to pursue their personal aspirations during their prime years. So, they box up their dreams, like learning to play the guitar, writing a book or going rock climbing, and label them for post-retirement.

However, these dreams often fail to get realized because priorities change by the time retirement rolls around. People might not have the same level of energy or they might not be healthy enough to pursue their goals.

Remove The Need To Choose

Besides, current workplace philosophy seems to suggest that pursuing your dreams while having a career is not possible without at least one of them suffering. Which explains why hobbies and interest are shunted off to weekends, while bigger goals are forgotten until retirement. Dreams take a back seat; and if they don’t, one must be prepared to sacrifice income stability.

It all boils down to the fundamental choice people are forced to make between their passions and their careers. But, it needn’t be that way - instead of having a zero-sum game, it’s increasingly becoming possible to support both personal and professional aspirations at the same time. More and more organizations are embracing flexible and remote working policies that afford greater freedom to employees.

Rewrite Rules To Support Passion

However, it is still assumed that you would be available at a moment’s notice to handle work - even if you are not physically present in the office. While these policies are a good move in integrating our work and personal lives better, they still fall short. And this is why: It is not a formalized company policy that supports people’s personal aspirations during their working career.

What if companies filled the gap by formalizing the time-off for people to pursue their dreams? If companies helped their employees pursue their dreams right away, they not only make them feel personally accomplished but also reap gains in the form of happier and more loyal employees.

A Win-Win Situation

Apart from the overall sense of happiness such a policy creates, it packs in several benefits for the company as well: When people feel they have the freedom to pursue their dreams, it makes them less likely to quit their day jobs. The skills they pick up while working on their passions can be applied to their work as well, paving the way for better creativity and problem-solving. Finally, when people are able to openly discuss their passions at work, it helps employees with similar passions band together, creating deeper bonds and better synergy between people who’d have otherwise been just colleagues.